3 Review(s)

Caesar has conquered Gaul, well almost all of it. Everybody’s favourite Gaulish village still continues to be a pain in his royal hiney in this 3rd volume of the Asterix Omnibus series. Summary of the Books Asterix and the Big Fight After being humiliated in battle by the Gauls again and again, the Roman outpost near the village gets desperate for a solution. The Centurion’s lackey suggests that they bring over one of the Gaulish chiefs loyal to them and have him challenge Vitalstatistix to a Big Fight. The winner of the fight wins control over both villages. Vitalstatistix would have won thanks to the Druid Getafix’s potion, but a slight mishap with a menhir leaves the Druid an amnesiac. Without the magic potion, the odds seem heavily stacked against Vitalstatistix. Asterix in Britain Caesar has extended his empire into Britain, exploiting the British soldiers’ odd habit of stopping mid-battle to drink hot water with a spot of milk and refusing to fight on weekends. Julius Caesar attacks when the British are busy drinking their water and on weekends, instantly winning the battle. However, one single British village holds out against him, and when they begin to feel the pressure of Caesar’s attack, they send a brave warrior to contact his second cousin twice removed in a little village in Gaul: a cousin who is none other than Asterix the Gaul. Asterix and the Normans The Normans are fearless warriors from the North. Their fearlessness is a problem, since they can’t understand why their enemies feel fear. Their children are unruly, not fearing punishment, and they can’t cure hiccups by scaring the inflicted since they don’t get scared. They also hear that fear gives wings, and erroneously believe that fear allows people to fly. This makes them curious about fear and they head for Gaul to find out if the natives know the meaning of fear. They might just get their wish since they land near the little Gaulish village and try to kidnap Vitalstatistix’s young nephew, the spoilt city boy who is scared of fighting, Justforkix. About the Authors Albert Uderzo is a French artist and writer. Rene Goscinny is a French comics editor and writer. The two writers are also famous for their work on the comic book series Lucky Luke. Series Reading Order Although all the Asterix books can be read in any order, this volume follows the events of Asterix and Cleopatra. The adventures continue in Asterix the Legionary.